Furthermore,
this post was also followed by a series of emoticons to emphasize its message: three
arm curled biceps and one gold trophy.

(Sigh...
Here we go again...)

Exercise,
goals, striving for improvement/perfection...This is where I squirm, faced with
posts as these.

Indeed,
there is much emphasis on fitness in today’s culture. There are countless gyms,
trainers, exercise equipment, programs, workout clothes and shoes, as well as a
variety of athletic activities from which to choose. It’s overwhelming.

Yet there’s
still a rise in eating disorders and in such health issues as childhood obesity
and Type 2 Diabetes. How do we explain that?

I believe it
has a lot to do with focus and priority, the personal, daily decision to put
exercise and health in a healthy balance for our lives.

For God, in
fact, tells us that, yes, there is some benefit to exercise...

“For bodily exercise profits
little: but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life
that now is, and of that which is to come.”

1 Timothy 4:8

It lowers
blood pressure, combats heart disease; it also improves circulation and mood,
just to name a few positive results.

But, like
anything used to excess, it can harm, even kill. That’s what it could have done
for me, back in the day, when I exercised for six or more hours a day, while
starving myself at the same time. That was not God’s Will. That was not profitable.

“For God is not a God of disorder
but of peace…”

1 Corinthians 14:33

So what is profitable? Moderate exercise that is
a part of life, but not our ENTIRE life. If exercise is preventing you from experiencing
other people and things in your life, to the point of disruption, that is not
profitable.

So, this
importance of “every like and comment,” where did it start?

I believe its
genesis is the heart, usually that of a wounded heart...

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of
it are the issues of life.”

Proverbs 4:23

“For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.”

Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34

Long story
short: we believe the solution to our pain is found in the external, including
the external appearance.

“‘…man looks on the outward
appearance...’”

1 Samuel 16:7

We
shortchange ourselves, not taking into account the entirety of the outward
appearance situation, especially from a spiritual perspective...

“‘…For the Lord
sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks on the heart.’”

1 Samuel 16:7

Yet, we value
other people’s validation over God’s, more often than not. I suppose, one can
argue, it’s because with man, there is the 3-D evidence. God, is nebulous; we
view Him via the if-y faith tactic.

So, in our
hearts somewhere, perhaps God is not “as real” as other people... and their
opinions of us.

And that can
set us up for a snare...

“The fear of man bringeth a snare...”

Proverbs 29:25

We fear
other people’s disapproval, along with our own fragile sense of self. We want
to belong; we want to be accepted, liked and included...

About Me

Author and speaker Sheryle Cruse’s passion has been toward encouraging and empowering both young girls and women to come to a personal relationship with Christ and live their lives free from the damage of their life experiences. This is most recently displayed in her Christian self-help book on eating disorders, Thin Enough: My Spiritual Journey Through the Living Death of an Eating Disorder. Released by New Hope Publishers, it is a personal journey from “glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18) for Sheryle, as well as a spiritual war cry to girls and women everywhere to rise in Christ, no matter what disorder, obstacle or argument tries to come against them. Sheryle Cruse currently lives in Minnesota with her husband, Russell, writing and speaking on the recovery process.